Need to Walk the Walk, Too
We have growled on any number of occasions about the use and more often abuse of so-called earmark spending in Congress. In an op-ed last week in the Washington Times, Andrew Moylan of the National Taxpayers Union discusses “Republicans and pork.” He begins by writing:
“In recent weeks, Republicans in just about every corner of the federal government have been given opportunities to put some teeth into reforms aimed at curbing earmarked spending in the budget process. But instead of backing up their tough rhetoric with real action, they've proposed a series of half-measures, hoping to drag their feet on the issue long enough for it to go away. As a result, they've demonstrated to conservatives that they won't straighten up and fly right.”
Moylan takes no prisoners in the op-ed, writing:
“For their part, House Republicans avoided an opportunity to strike a blow for taxpayers. When an opening appeared on the House Appropriations Committee, Republican leadership had a chance to appoint a reformer to the spot who would help fight earmarks. Having a true fiscal conservative on the committee would shake up the back-scratching culture of Congress' "third party" the bipartisan flock of "appropriations cardinals" who feather their nests with tax dollars. But instead of shaking a few of these birds out of their trees, Republican leadership appointed moderate Rep. Jo Bonner of Alabama to the slot.”
The Club for Growth maintains a webpage to track the brave Senate and House members who have sworn off earmarks. As of yesterday, 37 members of the House (33 Republican and 4 Democrats) have sworn off earmarks, and in the Senate, 7 members (4 Republicans and 3 Democrats) have done likewise.
Senators John Warner and Jim Webb and Representative Jim Moran have yet to swear off of earmarks. Please call their office and encourage them to join their colleagues who have done so. The Capitol switchboard phone number is (202) 224-3121.